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Its well over a year since EE launched 4G in the UK and Three's customers have been waiting a long time to get 4G, but now the wait for some customers in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Reading is over.

News is breaking that a number of Three's customers are claiming to be able to access 4G, even though no official statement from the company has been released.

We've put together a guide to help Three's customers establish whether they can currently get 4G and if so how they can begin to enjoy unlimited 4G at no extra cost.

Three 4G Availability - Coverage and Signal

Three have so far launched 4G in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Reading. So if you are outside these areas then you are currently out of luck and will have to wait until Three 4G lands in your area. You can find-out when Three will launch 4G in your area here.

Even if you live in one of the above cities you still may not be able to connect to 4G, because Three's 4G coverage doesn't extend to all areas of the 4G-enabled cities. Signal strength also differs whether you are indoors and outdoors, so that's also worth considering. You can check Three's 4G coverage here.

4G Ready Device

To be able to get 4G you need to have a "4G Ready' device supporting the 1800MHz spectrum band. You can check whether your Three device supports 4G over on the Support Page here (by selecting "Find My Device").

If you didn't get your smartphone or tablet from Three you'll need to check on your manufacturers website to see whether your device supports 4G LTE (on the 1800MHz band).

Required Software Updates

Three have also stated that you need to check that your device's software is updated to the latest version. You should go into the settings on your smartphone or tablet and check you've got the latest operating system and firmware updates.

Three themselves might also need to send you a software update to your device to enable 4G. You will receive a notification when the update becomes available, which you should accept and install. Please note that you may need to turn your device off and back-on to activate 4G.

Three revealed that they are pushing the 4G software update to different types of devices at different times, dependent on the devices' manufacturer. Three did not say in what order this was happening, so you should contact customer services for more details.

Those who purchased a Three phone from a reseller might have to wait a little longer for the update. While, those who didn't get their device from Three themselves will need to get the 4G update from their manufacturer or the operator they originally bought the smartphone from.

4G Account Activation

Three also need to make your account compatible with 4G. The company have said that they will make all accounts 4G compatible by March.

So if you've followed all the steps above and you still can't connect to 4G you might want to call customers services (dial 333 on your Three device) to check whether your account is 4G-activated.

Have you managed to get 4G on your Three devices? Let us know your experience so far by leaving a comment below.